good morning. breaking news. a surge in radiation levels at the crippled nuclear plant in japan forces emergency crews to evacuate overnight. while they are now getting back to work, there are new fears that those 50 heroic workers could be running out of options today, wednesday, march 16, could be running out of options today, wednesday, march 16, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer.

>> good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie. meredith is on assignment. you just think about the pressure those workers must be under, the sacrifice they may be making. they are being dubbed the fukushima 50, one of the last lines of defense against an all-out meltdown. >> imagine the concern when they were temporarily pulled from the plant overnight after radiation levels spiked for a shortle term. the second fire in number 4 today where spent fuel rods are stored. >> and japan's emperor delivered a televised address saying he was, quote, deeply worried, but urged people not to give up hope. sp latest ahead. >> people are still moving away from reactors. lester holt and the crew made it from sendai to tokyo overnight. they were screened for radiation and they fnd trace amounts on their shoes. lester will tell us about it in a few minutes. first he has the latest on the

ongoing nuclear crisis. good morning, lester. >> reporter: good morning. you have to hand it to the 50 workers there trying their best, but the cascading events throw more obstacles in their way. right now this all seems to threaten to overwhelm them. >> white smoke billowing -- >> reporter: it is a scene playing out again today on japanese television. trouble at the troubled fukushima daiichi power plant. more information kept coming. the news only getting more confusing. >> translator: we have urged them to evacuate. >> reporter: operations at the plant had been suspended. all personnel on site forced to withdraw because of concern about what were thought to be dangerously high radiation levels at the plant. but later, workers were allowed back in. the situation at the power plant is growing more dire each day.

imagery from satellites reveals the damage from three explosions in the last four days, but it is what you can't see that's troubling. radiation is entering the air. a crack in the containment dome in the number 2 reactor is causing a radiation leak. a second fire broke out at the number 4 reactor. the building's outer wall collapsed. here, spent nuclear fuel rods stored in water are releasing radiation. >> just the spent fuel accident would be worthy of worldwide concern. we have that on top of three reactors having core damage. it's a very, very bad situation. >> reporter: a bad situation growing worse for the people of japan still reeling from the devastation that surrounds them. as people try to find basic essentials to survive they are lining up to be scanned, being checked for radiation poisoning. 180 miles northeast of us in tokyo, the fukushima plant is its own ground zero.

70,000 residents lifling within 12 miles of the plant have been forced to evacuate and thousands living within 19 miles have been told to remain indoors. officials try to calm already rattled nerves saying the amount of radiation released so far poses no health hazard to anyone outside the evacuation zone. but for an already weary country the official pronouncements are beginning to wear thin. >> nobody knows, you know, the truth of what's happening. >> reporter: beyond the problems at fukushima there is a mounting humanitarian crisis facing japan. almost a halfle million people living in shelter, many without food, water or medicine. and then there is the search and recovery effort. with death toll estimates exceeding 10,000, there are so many bodies still to recover. countries like the united states joining in the grim task. >> i wonder how the people who live here are to recover from

it. >> reporter: there are glimmers of hope in the sea of despair. on tuesday, a young man was pulled from the rubble in miyagi. >> people don't die easily, this rescuer says. that's why we are doing our best, continuing to search. for all they have lost, the people of japan have not lost hope. japan is not only accepting u.s. help in terms of aid and recovery, but they are also going to accept the help of u.s. nuclear experts en route here. meantime japanese officials within the last hour or so continue to say that the radiation levels are stable at the plant. they continue to work the problem. they have abandoned the idea of a fly-over to drop water on number 3 and will inject water from the ground. they say radioactivity levels now are stable at the site. >> let me talk to you about the radiation situation. you were in sendai for 36 hours, lester. i mentioned you made it to tokyo overnight and as you arrived at

the hotel you and the crew were screened for radiation. talk to me about it. >> reporter: nbc hired a radioactive expert who met us at the hotel. he scanned us with a gieger counter. all of us tested clean. he checked our hair, the clothes we have been wearing. when he got to the shoes that was the different story. it went off. let me show you when he ran it over the shoes even after i had washed them. here it is. [ beeping tone ] >> is that a good thing or a bad thing? >> that's a bad thing. >> reporter: that was a bad thing. to put it in perspective, very, very minute levels of radioactive material. he gave me the numbers. i'd show my ignorance if i tried to explain, but it was above background levels. we perhaps picked up dust. he had to scrub the shoes down. mine still didn't test properly, so they are in a plastic bag and

won't be coming home with me. >> most importantly, stay safe. our best to the crew, lester. thanks for the report. we appreciate it. it's six minutes after the hour. here's savannah. >> matt, thank you. the weather is playing a significant role in where and how radiation from the plant spreads. al has details on that. al, good morning. >> good morning. the winds are out of the west-northwest right now. it's chilly in both sendai and tokyo. as we move into tomorrow, for thursday the winds will continue coming out of the west-northwest. again, blowing offshore. more good news. by friday, we get a little bit of a change. that's going to mean with winds out of the west-north west and west the winds become variable. if there is a relief of radiation as we get into the weekend, the offshore winds will not be happening. that could be a problem. matt? >> thank you very much. ann curry is in akita, japan,

about 200 miles to the northwest of the fukushima plant. she joins us now by phone. ann, when we spoke a couple of days ago you were telling me people in the affected region had so much to deal with that the nuclear side of things wasn't yet on their radar. has that changed in the past couple of days? >> reporter: very much so. especially because i was talking to you about the people who were in the evacuation centers, matt. at that time i was talking to you, they don't have access to telephones and televisions and news, so they are not finding out about things. now word of mouth is causing them to be more aware of it. they will not know if there is a major problem until -- because it will be delayed getting to them. certainly they are hugely concerned. you mentioned that we are in akita. our news team, out of an abundance of caution today,

traveled further away from the troubled nuclear reactors. everywhere, people are concerned. people are talking about this drama playing out in fukushima. perhaps the people -- the japanese people, of all people, more deeply understand the risks of radiation exposure having experienced a rise in cancer rates and deformed births because of the bombings in hiroshima and nagasaki. the reactors are slowing the movement of national aid because they are right between tokyo -- the area hardest hit by the tsunami and the quake. so there is a real problem getting aid up past those nuclear power plants to the people who are really affected by the tsunami and quake. >> ann curry reporting from akita in japan. as always, ann, thank you very much for your report. we'll check in a little bit later. nine minutes after the hour. savannah?

>> matt, thanks. how serious is the situation? james acton is a nuclear expert. good morning. >> good morning. >> we have heard of at least three explosions, two fires at the reactors. let's bottom line it. the primary concern as i understand it is that the nuclear fuel rods would get so hot they would melt unleashing an enormous amount of radiation. how close are we to that outcome? >> well, we don't know. part of the challenge is the measuring equipment within the plants themselves are untrustworthy or possibly not working. the situation is both unclear and also very fluid. for the last few days our attention has been focused on reactor 2. the utility came out last night and said reactor 3 is the one they are most concerned about. the situation is very grave and also fluid. >> what's happening at this

plant and whichever reactor we are talking about is extraordinary efforts to cool the fuel rods so they don't meltdown. a lot of experts will say the primary concern is in reactors where the fuel rods are spent, expired but still emitting heat sitting in a pool of water. why is that such a concern? >> well, as you say, when you have expired fuel rods they are still highly radioactive. you take them out of the reactor and transfer them basically to an enormous swimming pool that sits next to the reactor. there are contrasting explanations -- and i don't think it's yet clear why there's been a fire in the spent fuel pool. but if you have lost some of the water in this gigantic swimming pool and there is a fire around the fuel rods you are creating more pathways by which radiation can reach the environment.

>> let's talk about the workers. by any account, heroic to be working under these conditions. some say they are putting their lives on the line to keep the cooling going. how much risk are they in right now? >> a lot is going to depend on the way the radiation levels on site change as the situation e evolves. radiation levels have changed quickly over the past 48 hours. hopefully the radiation levels would not become so high that the health of the workers is immediately at risk. nonetheless, there can be no doubt that if things go south from here those workers could be in considerable danger as they are absolutely aware. >> very quickly, you have said this is worse than the accident at three mile island, not as bad as chernobyl. why do you say that? >> this is all about the amount of radiation that could

potentially be released into the environment. at chernobyl, a large fraction of radiation in the core of the reactor was explosively spread into the environment. we are not going to see, i believe, something as serious as this here. the amount of radiation released into the environment is going to be large and worrying, but not on the scale of chernobyl. >> james acton from carnegie, thank you very much. at trkaton edwards is the a of "preparedness now." we have a map showing not onlile the quake zone where we are most quake prone in this country but where the power plants are in this country. as we look at that, how much danger is this country in and how prepared are we for an accident like this? >> we are not prepared. the japanese invested an enormous amount of resource into tsunami, earthquakes and

fortifying the infrastructures. we have a long way to go before we get to that point. and the american people aren't prepared. the american infrastructure isn't prepared. we don't have the medical situation, the health care situation. if we had a disaster of this magnitude and injuries, deaths, infrastructure damage we would be in serious trouble. >> you have a couple of items with you. a nuke alert. >> this is a civilian radiation monitor. people don't know what -- you know, all those things. this thing can chirp when it's near something with radiation. you have here a partial face respirator. >> you suggest people should have these at home? >> i would say so. it's inexpensive, something you can put on your face that can protect you from the inhalation of radioactive material. it embeds in the lungs and emits. that's not good.

>> and iodine pills. you say it's good to have them just in case? >> i think the american people are taking it too far. this is a thyroid blocker. protects you from getting cancer of the thyroid. you can have it if you live near a nuclear reactor, but not something we need to rush and panic. not necessary now. >> great to have your information this morning. it's 7:15. here's matt. >> what are the immediate health risks from radiation and what, if anything, should people in the u.s. do? in the west coast there are runs on iodine pills. nancy snyderman, good morning to you. if we are looking at the affected area in japan, i think the simplest way to put it is people in this area may be getting what we would consider a normal one year's worth of radiation in a couple of days. >> and microbursts we talk

about. there are various ways to measure radiation exposure. it almost gets too wonkish but they are getting it over and over. >> what about in the 12 and 19 mile areas? >> levels of radiation like what happened to lester. the radiation in the air will settle on the earth and the long-term concern is it gets in the soil, the grass, the cows eat it, it's in your milk. that's how people in chernobyl had the huge spike of thyroid cancer. they drank milk from contaminated cows. >> when you hear that people in the affected area should stay indoors does that come close to protecting them? >> it does. >> shut the window and that's it? >> yes, duct tape is your friend. close the doors and let the radiation falle to the ground d get dissipated. for people on the west coast, a lot of the jet stream and air will take care of it. there haven't been huge, huge amounts of radiation. there have been micropops and a

lot of the radiation will get dissipated by the air. >> we're hearing there's been a run on iodine pills -- >> a run? gone. >> in the united states. there is confusing information coming out. yesterday's surgeon general regina benjamin said she thought it was appropriate to get iodine because we have to be prepared. a spokesperson said she didn't mean people shouldn't buy the pills. >> i was strong and regina said, thanks for clarifying. this is a classic kind of thyroid medication you can get with iodide in it. it says use as directed in case of a nuclear accident. this blocks the bad radiation from getting into your thyroid gland. this is not to be taken now. this is in case you are going into an irradiated area.

and for those who are in harm's way in japan, the immediate signs are nausea, vomitinging, exhaustion, hair falling out. what we worry about are issues five, 10, 15 years down the line. >> those people will be tested for a long time. >> yes. americans, just pray for the japanese. we should all take a deep breath here and relax. >> all right. thank you very much. now a check of the top stories with natalie at the news deskle whi -- news desk while an is on assignment. >> nations in europe are planning stress tests on all 143 nuclear power plants of their own. the e.u. energy commissioner agreed to back voluntary tests tuesday as a move to improve safety standards in all 27 member states. germany became the first nation to shut seven of the oldest nuclear reactors pending better risk statement. u.s. secretary of state

visited tahrir square this morning, the site of the protests that toppled egypt's long-time lead e e er murks bar. >> reporter: she wanted to see the place where the revolution started. she was greeted by friendly crowds including a man who shouted, you must help libya. i asked how she felt. she said she was inspired by seeing where democracy had flourished. i asked if it would come to libya and she said, we face challenges. rebels fear being crushed by gadhafi forces. now they are resisting all pressure to intervene. >> andrea mitchell, thank you very much. security forces in bahrain unleashed violence on protesters driving them from pearl square

and killing at least two people. the king declared a state of emergency allowing soldiers to battle the anti-monarchy unrest. it was unclear whether or not the 2,000 troops dispatched from saudi arabia were part of the assault. the top u.s. commander in afghanistan says the u.s. is on track to begin pulling troops from that country in july. general david petraeus testified tuesday that the taliban lost much of its momentum on the battlefield. the car bomb this morning in kirkuk killed people including a mother and her newborn child. at least 35 people were wounded. cia tractor raymond davis was indicted on two counts of murder in pakistan. davis claims he killed two men pursuing him on motor bikes in self-defense. the u.s. has been calling for his release saying he has diplomatic immunity. and residents of miami dade

county voted to recalle their mayor. he raised property taxes for some homeowners. the county commission has 30 days to appoint a new mayor or call a special election. caught on tape, a husband and wife dare devil team's stunt plane began spewing flames as amanda performed a wing walk in texas. both survived and are recovering from the fire and emergency landing. the husband is being credited for perhaps saving her life because he was able to keep the plane level so she could get back into the plane. amazing. >> as if wing walking isn't scary enough. that happened. >> flames bursting. >> thank you very much. appreciate that. mr. roker wit

>> most of the steady rain has gone. there is still a chance for a light rain showers and drizzle. it should clear up as we head into the afternoon. high n that's your latest weather. matt? >> just ahead, more on the crisis in japan, including the lessons learned from previous nuclear disasters.

we are live at both three mile island and chernobyl. first, this is "today" on nbc.

as we try to get a grasp on the scope of the disaster, we want to tell you about a feature on today.com. you can look at areas affected by the quake and tsunami, wave your mouse over them and see the before and after satellite images. >> it's shocking the devastation. as shocking as it is from the air, get down on the ground and see the images that reporters have seen and the looks on people's faces. even comes home and hits harder. we're back after your local news. confidence available in color. depend® colors for women. looks and fits like underwear. protects like nothing else. depend®. good morning. great day. 8 hours of sleep is great, when you can get it. new almay wake-up makeup.

hydrating water, cooling cucumber, and nourishing minerals refresh your skin, giving you an all over, well-rested look. so every day starts with glowing, hydrated skin. only from almay. only for me. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> busy start out there because of the rain, impacting things as we get further into the rush hour. frederick road and marriottsville road, howard county, we have an accident. these are clear now in the city,

but still tracking one of pulaski highway and kenwood road and another one at aberdeen and pulaski highway. have this spot, as we normally see, the west side. outer loop approaching 795 towards edmondson, backing up traffic on southbound 795. we are seeing a delay on the northeast corner. 31 on the outer loop of par ford. here is what it looks like at liberty. lots of volume on the outer loop going away from us. we are seeing a pretty big back up in the roads. still a little wet. give yourself extra time if you can. >> we did have steady rain around last night, but that is off the coast now. low clouds, a few showers and sprinkles and drizzle. that should be topping off through the rest of the morning. temperatures in the low 40's. we should make it into the upper

50s later on today. seven-work has come about as good as it gets -- seven-day forecast about as good as it gets for this time of year. 71 on friday. it should stay dry during the day. high temperatures expected in the 50's. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back at 7:55 with another live update.

7:30 on a wednesday morning, the 16th day of march 2011. you're looking at the fukushima nuclear complex where there was a setback overnight. workers evacuated for a short time after what was called a dangerous spike in radiation levels. inside studio 1a in new york i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie while meredith is on assignment today. we'll go live to the site of two other nuclear accidents. we all remember three mile island and chernobyl. we'll get perspective on what's now unfolding in japan. >> on a different note, saving money and calories at the

supermarket. we'll get eat this, not that advice on what's worth the money and where to save. plus speculation over kate middleton's wedding dress isn't the only fashion choice that has britain buzzing. prince william panned for his shoe selection after a lunch date. are they that had? i don't know. >> serious news talking about the nuclear crisis in japan. people living within 12 miles of the fukushima plant have been evacuated. anyone within 19 miles is warned to stay indoors. as savannah mentioned there are 104 nuclear power plants in the united states, some close to major population centers. the indian point plant about 35 miles north of new york city, home to more than 8 million people. approximately 35le miles outside of philadelphia, pennsylvania with a population of a million and a half sits the limerick generating station. and the waterford steam electric

station is 30 miles outside of new orleans which, as we know, is an area vulnerable to hurricanes. how does a nuclear disaster impact the people and environment surrounding a plant? we are live at the sites of three mile island in pennsylvania and chernobyl. beginning with jeff rossen at three mile island. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the plant is very active. one of the reactors is going this morning with two of the cooling stacks sending steam into the air. we talked to one of the officials here. they supply power at three mile island to 800,000 homes in the northeast, most of them in pennsylvania. back in 1979 when the partial core meltdown happened at three mile island they were ill prepared. they are the first to admit it. no real evacuation plan and a shoddy emergency plan. everything has changed inside while things out here are basically the same. >> we don't know. it was scary.

we knew the alarms had gone off. something happened at the nuclear power plant. >> reporter: it was march 1979, a partial core meltdown at three mile island that shut the plant down and sent radioactive gas into the air, all of it a stone's throw from joan and kenneth's house. >> we had a 5-year-old son to worry about. our concern was to get him out of the area. >> good morning, everyone. some radioactive steam still leaking from a nuclear power plant in pennsylvania. >> reporter: it was a combination of mechanical failure and human error. to this day the most serious power accident in american history. >> you're not finding anything, brian? >> not a thing. >> reporter: believe it or not, no one died. studies show no long-term health issues but there was fallout. americans were scared and for the nuclear power industry the timing couldn't have been worse.

the movie "the china syndrome" was released days before the accident showing a hollywood version of a nuclear meltdown and set the tone for the real world emergency playing out in pennsylvania. >> the biggest concern was can i get back. >> reporter: a presidential order issued sweeping changes at three mile island and the government agency that oversees it. 32 years later officials say it's safe. >> we want people to know we have numerous safety systems here. >> reporter: we are in your backyard here. you are literally in the shadow of this plant. >> correct. >> reporter: make you nervous? >> no. i can't say that it does. we have family and friends that all worked on the island. it was part of our lives. >> reporter: in fact, at the local cafe, we found many of the same people who experienced the accident as kids still live here as adults. >> we don't think about it day to day. now that this is in the news it

makes you wonder what really did happen then and what could happen in the future. >> reporter: you think about it? >> yes. we have iodine pills in our home in case something happens. >> reporter: this is the safest nuclear plant in the country because of the focus before. if i have to live around one, this is the one to live around. >> reporter: here at three mile island it took 12 years and nearly $1 billion to clean up the mess. that was without all the damage, death and carnage from a quake and tsunami. >> experts already saying what we are seeing in japan is worse than three mile island. next month marks the 25th anniversary of chernobyl, the world's worst nuclear accident. michelle kosinski is there. good morning. >> reporter: hi, savannah. chernobyl was the worst nuclear accident in history. 25 years ago next month.

to this day there is this 20-mile radius exclusion zone around it. you need special clearance to get back there which they haven't granted us. there is still a higher level of radiation here, but it's diminished enough that ukraine is willing to offer chernobyl as an extreme tourism destination. ov overgrown, eerie, much of it touched only by time since then. april, 1986. russia was slow toed admit that during safety tests one of the chernobyl nuclear reactors overloaded, exploded and melted down. the enormous burst of radiation killed dozens of emergency workers spread across europe. scientists say in the years that followed, despite tspiked the n thyroid cancer cases in the area. >> currently an area is

uninhabitable and may be that way for hundreds of years. >> reporter: it remains a silent specter. the empty schools, abandoned soviet buildings. the amusement park that never amused anyone, set to open days after the disaster. and the aging sarcophogus, is structure built over the area meant to keep radiation inside. but birds fly, flowers bloom. >> radiation levels are on the high side. >> reporter: not silent are the meters that identify radioactive hot spots. this video was captured by our nbc cameras six years ago. >> you can still get in it and go for a ride. >> reporter: even then tourists ventured in and hearty residents moved back to farm. but officials here determined that today the radiation level is low enough to bring people through on tours to show them

the sort of nuclear nowhere that japan is desperate to prevent. at least there, unlike chernobyl, huge protective barriers surround the reactors. >> we are all keeping our fingers crossed and hoping and praying if things take an even greater turn to the worse that these barrier will serve to prevent large releases from occurring. >> reporter: here, what was a paragon of what humans can do -- split the atom to cleanly power our inventions -- has returned to absolute basics. the u.s. nuclear regulatory commission says in this region there is no overall increase in cancer or disease that can be tributed to chernobyl. although there could be 4,000 radiation-related deaths in the future. among hundreds of thousands of people exposed back then. here lies the lonely evidence. poisoned by people, reclaimed by the earth.

in addition to increased tourism, we saw tourists going in today. ukraine wants a bigger containment dome. it will take years to build and will cost around $1 billion. >> michelle kosinski in chernobyl, thank you. now a check of the weather from al. good morning, everybody. as we look out west we've got warm air making its way to the east. rapid city, 24 degrees above normal. omaha, 20 degrees. wichita, 15. high temperatures, albuquerque at 73. warmer in rapid city. 80 in vegas. almost 90 in phoenix. rest of the country, cool weather hanging around the northern plains into northern new england. 40s and 50s in the northeast. look for a beautiful day. 80 and sunshine in miami. more heavy rain in the pacific northwest.

the system will make its way east causing problems as we get to the beginning of next week. sunshine from the plains down to the gulf coast. >> the steady rain has moved up to the east but there is still a chance for a light rain and drizzle. we think the clouds will break up as we get into the afternoon. up as we get into the afternoon. want to keep track of your weather all day long? go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. savannah? >> thanks, al. coming up, new photos of prince william and kate leaving a restaurant after a lunch date. first, these messages. women move the world.emal] move our families forward. move us all to a better place.

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we're back at 7:43. this morning avoiding pitfalse at the supermarket. you may be paying too much for food that isn't as healthy as you think. some simple swaps can mean big savingses for your wallet and waistline. david, welcome back. >> good morning, matt. >> we're willing to pay good money for healthier food. are companies and supermarkets doing the wrong things or are we making bad choices? >> it's both. supermarkets are full of diet foods that won't help you lose weight and health foods that aren't that he wille think. you can lose a ton of weight and find ways to eat healthier without spending more money. >> you don't want to get wrapped up in catch phrases. start with bread. this is arnold's whole grain

health nut bread. sounds like a healthy choice. you say it's not as healthy as you think. >> you'd be nuts to eat it. 240 calories, a lot of refined flour. so stick with arnold's, move your hand a few feet down. if you grab the bakery light 100% whole wheat you get 80 calories, a third the calories. save your money and nutrients for what's between the bread. and it is 20 cents less expensive per loaf. >> swordfish, a lot of people think it's great. you say, what about halibut? >> exactly. swordfish cuts both ways. you get the high mercury counts which you have to worry about. it's also expensive. it's about $21 per pound, the national average. if you go with something like halibut your talking $10 a pound. so you're saving 50% of the

calories. you have a much lower cost and it's one of the cleanest fish out there. >> onto meat. two cuts of beef. a six-ounce steak, tenderloin and sirloin. same size but a significant difference in price. what's the deal? >> this is a shocking example. everybody says, oh, tenderloin must be great and tender. tender doesn't equal flavor. it just happens that there is not a lot of tender loin cuts on the cow. so this is $17 per pound. if you switch to sirloin which is a steak lover's steak, it's $5.30 per pound. it's a third the cost plus it's lower in calories, fat and saturated fat. >> let's end on this. fruits and vegetables. organic labels, you say it's unnecessary. >> peel off the pesticides. banana, pine am, avocado,

garlic, you don't have to worry. go conventional. worry about the edible skins. if you get peaches, apple, lettuce, pears, go for organic. >> if you're peeling it, go with normal and save money. >> up to 50%. >> david zinczenko, thank you very much. up next, sneakers for a lunch date. the dust-up over what prince william wore on an outing with kate after this. of that hairpiece. you know what this is, cartwright? yes. nicorette mini. you carry them around everywhere. yes, i do carry them everywhere. because cravings are everywhere. no matter where crime takes me, nicorette mini's there, ready to take a craving for me like a real partner. ♪ would you take a craving for me, cartwright? what? how would i take a -- exactly. isn't it weird to eat your partner? don't over think the metaphor, cartwright. [ male announcer ] nicorette mini goes wherever you go, to help make quitting suck less. tough being the only girl.

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back now at 7:50 with the countdown to the royal wedding. less than 44 days to go until prince william and kate middleton tie the knot. there is a lot of work to be done. anne thompson is at buckingham palace with the details this morning. anne, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. prince william heads to new zealand this week to visit the victims of that country's earthquake. his bride-to-be is staying home to put the finishing touches on their wedding plans. while the world worries about nuclear meltdown, royal watchers are consumed by shoes -- prince william's shoes. actually, the sneakers he wore to lunch with kate middleton at a posh london restaurant with a dress code for dinner. his casual dress panned by critics, compared to his stylishly attired fiance who dressed for the setting in what

one tabloid called a smart brown jacket and elegant brown kittenle heels. kate's fashion choices are a hot commodi commodity. the trench coat she wore sold out in a day. >> whether or not she likes it she'll be a royal clothes horse. whatever she wears girls will copy from hair to makeup and whatever boot she wears. >> reporter: william may not be a slave to fashion but it's played a key role in the royal romance. very nice hat. >> reporter: this fetching number kate wore at a university fashion show is reportedly how she first caught the future king's eye. it's the creation of then student designer charlotte todd. she will put up the dress for auction this week. todd designed it as a skirt. kate wore it as a dress. >> i would like to think i made my mark on the royal relationship. at the beginning it's exciting.

it's the first piece of kate middleton memorabilia to go on sale. it's the most recognizable. >> reporter: until the big day, april 29th. kate's wedding dress and who's designing it are the biggest secrets in england. despite repeated denials the favorite is sarah burton, the woman who has run alexander mcqueen's fashion house since his death. she's designed for the first lady. this is what she showed on the paris catwalk. perhaps not royal material. and the guest list? former flames will sit on both the bride's and groom's side. for those of you who can't afford london's expensive hotel rooms, they are turning a nearby park into a campground where,

for $121, you can pitch a tent for the three-day extravaganza. i think prince william's sneakers would be right at home. >> they would, indeed. that's dedication. anne thompson in london this morning, thanks. >> just ahead, do you compulsively shop and then return the purchases? we'll talk about it after wrour loc -- your local news. or because 90% of all camrys sold since 1995 your -- your local news. are still on the road today. plus every new toyota comes with toyotacare, a complimentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance. we're #1 for a reason. come see for yourself. hurry in for the best selection. ♪

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> still kind of slick out there in some spots. if you are going to be heading out, a few accidents to watch for. marriottsville road, howard county, watch for a crash there. baltimore national pike and coleridge wrote, another crash could reisterstown road and warren road, another location. dewey road in edgewood, another one in aberdeen, along pulaski highway and short lane. the slowdown on the west side of

the outer loop approaching 795 to edmondson. yellow on the inner loop going towards the j.f.x. southbound j.f.x., starting around coldspring, looking at delays towards 28. this is not the back of looks like all the way towards edmondson on the outer loop. live view of white marsh, not as bad as we normally see in it. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we did have a steady rain last night. that is off the coast now. we had low clouds and fog in light rain showers and drizzle. that is the case for the rest of the morning at least. by this ave we will break through the clouds. we should make it into the upper 50s this afternoon. seven-day forecast, very nice going into the weekend. we will hit 71 on friday. chance for a few rainshowers

friday night. it should stay dry during the day. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. back at 8:25 with another live update.

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we're back now. 8:00 on a wednesday morning. 16th day of march, 2011. spring doesn't officially begin until sunday. as you can see, we've got the spring showers here in new york this morning. our thanks to these people hanging out under umbrellas with us and getting soggy. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. meredith is taking some time for an assignment. we'll be finding out more about that tomorrow. al roker joins us as well. are we covering everybody here? coming up we'll talk about breaking a cycle when it comes to shopping. >> a lot of us can relate.

you go to the mall, buy stuff, get it home and think, i'd better return it. some people have a chronic buy and return problem. how can you tell if it's something more serious? we'll get into that. >> and celine dion kicked off her big las vegas show last night, just a couple months after giving birth to her twins. a lot of pressure on this. a lot of people hope this will help save the flagging economy in las vegas. she and jenna bush hager spent time. i understand they even did some singing. you may want to hide the dogs and cats. >> jenna's going on the road with her, on tour. >> great. >> later on, if you were at a restaurant, if you didn't think you were getting your money's worth, would you say something? >> i probably just wouldn't go back. >> i wouldn't do anything about it. >> we have hidden cameras. we'll show you what some diners did when they thought they were getting ripped off. >> lots to get to. let's go inside.

natalie morales is at the news desk. good morning to you. >> good morning to you once again. japan is resorting to desperate measures to contain radiation from a crippled nuclear power plant. lester holt is in tokyo this morning. good morning, lester. >> reporter: good morning. the last line of defense of the workers trying to cool with sea water the reactors. today a scare as they had to back off. a surge of radiation so intense they had to back off for a while. they were eventually let back in. attempts to water drop from helicopters also proved futile today. there was another explosion at the number 4 plant today. it was the number 2 letting off the radioactive steam. officials continue to say the levels are not harmful outside the exclusion zone. my team and i were about 40 kilometers from the plant. as you know, many people at the plant area have been scanned with geiger counters.

we underwent the same thing in tokyo. an nbc conal sul tant took a counter and checked us head to toe. none of us had radio active ti on our hair or body but when they checked our shoes they found something. here's what they found. [ beeping ] >> is that a good thing or bad? >> that's a bad thing. >> reporter: i'm told that bad thing was micro revels of radioactivity. it's nothing -- we were told -- that's harmful to us. but we were in an area with radioactivity. he suspected it was probably on the ground and our feet kicked up the dust. but those geiger counters are popular in japan as people worry about health and safety. >> do keep safe there, lester.

we appreciate the reporting from tokyo. meanwhile the radiation released in japan is causing a spike in demand here for potassium iodide pills along the coast of the u.s. and canada. health experts say they only protect against thyroid cancer and say the risk now is only in japan. now for a check on the economy and how it is reacting to the ongoing crisis in japan. for the latest, we go to erin burnett at the new york stock exchange. the nikkei made a huge recovery. how will that bode for markets today? >> it was up about 6%. we are well below where we were before the earthquake on friday. the issue not here in the u.s. it will be lack of clarity. the ceo of hewlett-packard said their plant is up and running but a lot of plants aren't. it's that uncertainty that's royaling markets here. the u.s. markets looking les at the fear. japan counts for only 3% of u.s. exports.

watch oil. we are up nearly $2. back to you. >> thank you very much, erin. we'll be watching. officials from the transportation security administration will testify before congress about radiation from airport body scanners. the tsa insists the scanners are safe but has agreed to retest them after maintenance records showed radiation levels higher than expected. the senate is taking up a short-term spending bill passed on tuesday that keeps the federal government running for another three weeks. work on a long-term budget is dead-locked. on your marks, get set, the race is on for tickets to the 2012 london olympics. more than 6 million tickets went on sale tuesday. meantime, workers have fixed london's olympic countdown clock which stalled tuesday, just a day after its unveiling. it's back up and running. don't worry. the olympics will go off as planned in 2012. back to al now with a check of the weather.

>> we are hanging out with our friends. you're headed to the navy? good luck. let's check your weather and show you. we have columbia, south carolina, mostly sunny, mild. you can see a big storm moving out. storms in the midwest. in between, everything looking good. sunny skies, temperatures in the 50s in the plains. gulf coast to texas. windy through southern california, but nice and mild. >> it looks like the clouds are going to stick around for awhile. a chance brought light rain and drizzle still. as we head into the afternoon,

and that's your latest weather, matt? >> thank you very much. when we come back, are you a compulsive shopper? how to break the cycle of buying and returning. we'll get to that after this. those of us who know grass doesn't turn green just because the calendar says to. and that a big difference can grow from a small budget. for those of us with grass on our sneakers... dirt on our jeans... and a lawn that's as healthy as our savings... the days are about to get a whole lot greener. ♪ more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. we're lowering the cost of flexing our green thumbs. this mulch is just $4.97. ♪ good morning [ male announcer ] there are sixteen fresh-picked oranges squeezed into each carton of tropicana pure premium and absolutely no space for added sugar, water or preservatives. tropicana -- we put the good in morning.

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in the morning and not remember buying them. >> reporter: we all take back an occasional sweater or two, but some people are chronic returners or shopping bulimics. >> it's someone who shops to excess. it's a real high for people to buy whatever they want. and then to be able to return whatever they want. it's like the ultimate shopping without the consequences of incurring the debt. >> reporter: 27-year-old janine edwards admits to binge and purge shopping sprees. >> i am guilty of shopping bulim bulimia. i buy more than i should and later feel guilty and send the majority of it back. >> reporter: with online stores offering free shipping and returning -- it's never been easier to send it back.

>> you can return for free. there is a label in the package. we make it easy for you. >> you order the shoe in every size and color. you get it in your house, try it on with the clothes you have already. the ones you like, you keep. the ones you don't, send back. no sweat off your back. >> is there any harm in buying now and returning later? >> when you're getting into buying all sorts of things that you really can't afford that are useless items and then you're spending all of your time purging them, i think there may be a real clinical issue. >> i do think that it encourages people to spend more frivolously. on the same hand, if it occurs to you a week later, i really don't need this or i don't have room for this, you have that flexibility to take it back and remove the guilt from yourself. >> reporter: so you can shop until you drop. just make sure you save your receipt. for "today," contessa brewer,

nbc news, new york. >> how do you break the cycle? jean chatzky is "today's" financial editor. robby ludword is a psychotherapist. gene, i'm sure people are thinking, if i can get my money back is this a financial concern? >> it's a time concern. they say time is money and they are right. if you are spending hours on this, you really have to ask yourself what else could i be doing? could i make money in that time? what's this costing me? >> so many people relate. when does it go to the next level of being a problem? >> first of all, if you're using a lot of time looking at sites and returning, if you're lying basically about using something and lying in order to get those returns. some people in extreme cases will even damage products in order to say, i got something that isn't right in order to

return it. >> what's the psychology? are people getting a high? >> yes. >> shopping feeds the same part of your brain as sex and chocolate. >> it's endorphins, dopamine and you feel like the person you want to be which is big. you can live this big lifestyle even, in fact, if you can't. >> how much of a concern is it for the retail industry? on one hand they are making returns even easier to do all the time. >> they know people aren't returning every single thing they buy. a lot of those merchants have said, this is not all that bad for business. >> and people who buy and return and people buy, wear it and then return. isn't that a form of stealing? >> that's a little fraudulent. the stores have tried to say, if you cut off the tags you cannot send it back. >> with a few seconds left you say shop with a friend. ask yourselfle why you're doing it. limit purchases and returns and don't buy without trying on.

>> and ask yourself, what mood are you trying to get rid of? most likely you are trying to have a certain feeling. are you trying to get rid of boredom, depression, anxiety? those are things to look into. maybe there is another healthier way of dealing with those issues. >> all right. great to have you here. thank you. coming up, jenna bush hager catches up with celine dion to talk about her new vegas show and twin boys after this. approad is to keep it whole for better nutrition. and that's what they do with great grains cereal. see the seam on the wheat grain? same as on the flake. because great grains steams and bakes the actual whole grain. now check out the other guy's flake. hello, no seam. because it's more processed. now, which do you suppose has better nutrition for you? mmm. great grains. the whole whole grain cereal. 8 hours of sleep is great, when you can get it. new almay wake-up makeup. hydrating water, cooling cucumber,

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that works in minutes and lasts up to 12 hours. only alaway comes from bausch & lomb. for fast eye itch relief, add alaway. even by las vegas standards, last night was a big night. celine dion kicked off a three-year run at caesar's palace in a 4,000-seat theater built just for her. "today" contributor jenna bush hager got the sit-down and even, dare i say, sing with celine. is this good or bad? >> it wasn't great and not a du duet. we mostly talked about the show, her sons and how she got into amazing shape after giving birth to them last fall. ♪ >> reporter: the show is simply called "celine."

the pop diva's new performance is reminiscent of old vegas glamour, channelling the days of frank sinatra. ♪ >> reporter: it's celine's return engagement after her last show virtually sold out its entire five-year run at caesar's palace. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: what is it like being back on stage? >> a little crazy. it's a lot of work. it's intense. when i came back from the hospital after giving birth to my twin boys, i couldn't imagine myself on stage at this point. ♪ good night my angels >> reporter: twins eddie and nelson were born in october. >> i really try to pace myself. when you start a new project it's overwhelming, especially when you breastfeed your kids. >> reporter: two. twins.

>> but it's all that i wanted. i wanted to be a mother again. now i'm three times a mother. >> reporter: it wasn't easy. ten years ago, celine and husband renee had their first son r.c. and then went through six disappointing rounds of fertility treatments. >> i believe that every time it didn't work for my pregnancy i thought the two angels that were supposed to be mine, they were not there yet. so when it didn't work for me, it's not that i lost an angel or i lost a pregnancy or ale child was not born. a child was not ready to come in my life. it was just not ready. that's my way for me to cope with being disappointed. >> reporter: mm-hmm. >> it's hard. >> reporter: for months after the twins were born this was celine at the oscars.

>> i heard some people were like, oh, my god, she had twins and all that. >> reporter: you look amazing. was there exercise or you just shrunk back into your beautiful self? >> i'm very fortunate to shrink back. i do about four minutes of cardio. i have a bike in my room. >> reporter: four minutes? >> i don't do much. >> reporter: you have to do an exercise dvd. that's amazing. maybe this is the secret to celine-ercise. >> you only do a short workout but you wear this thing. you don't need to work out. >> that's the secret. wear heavy clothing. >> reporter: i love the dedication you gave to michael jackson. >> he did change my life in a way. >> reporter: he inspired you to learn english. >> very much so. that's the reason i went to

school to learn english. ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: you don't sing at home much except for in one place. >> for sure the place i love the most is the shower. the acoustics in the shower is the greatest. >> reporter: i like to sing in the shower. in my case it's because nobody wants to hear me. >> the shower makes you sound good. >> reporter: one of your songs is my favorite. ♪ it's all coming back >> try this. ♪ all coming back ♪ all coming back to me now ♪ if you scrub me like this ♪ and you scrub me like that >> reporter: you just made my life. ♪ we'll stay forever this way >> reporter: i have traveled all over the world. one of the things that i love is the theme song from "titanic." you can be anywhere in the world and that will come on the radio.

[ celine vocalizing ] >> to be part of a classic is rare. if i have to be remembered as the person who sang "titanic," that's great. for my kids. i don't want them to remember me as my mom who sang that song. i want them to be proud of me as their mom. >> reporter: las vegas is betting big on celine hoping shele eel help the city recover from the recession. in fact, projections are the show will bring 3% more tourism. she said she's a mom first and her schedule revolves around her son r.c.'s school breaks. >> cool. >> can you scrub up for us? >> i could climb under that table. >> take us to commercial singing a little of that. >> i thought you said you wanted to sing it. >> it's all coming back to you now. >> on the way out.

♪ it's all -- come on, guys! >> we'll be right back after your local news and weather. if you scrub me like this -- ♪ coming back to >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> tracking some accidents as we wrap up the rush hour. one coming in on southbound 95 at caton avenue. baltimore national pike in the westbound direction at coleridge wrote, it crash still clearing. another one of frederick and marriottsville in howard county. closed at bachman valley road due to an accident. as far as dry times, a pretty standard.

13 minutes on inner loop from 795 towards the 83's 316-minute ride to travel on the northeast side. these out of the delays on the west side. standard rush hour on the beltway. it a little tough to make it out over those signs, but there is a southbound accident over the right shoulder. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we had steady rain around last night. all that activity is off the coast, and left behind, with low clouds and fog and drizzle and maybe a few light rain showers. that will be the case through the rest of the morning. right now it is in the 40's. we will make it to 58 this afternoon. variable clouds. sunset at 7:14. good stuff over the next few days. sunshine tomorrow for st. patrick's day. 71 on friday. there could be a few showers

friday night. even the weekend looks ok. a little cooler, but it should be dry on saturday and sunday. >> thank you for joining us. another update at 8:55.

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[ cheers and applause ] 8:30 now on a wednesday morning, the 15th day of march, 2011. as you can see by the umbrellas, we have inclement weather in new york. what our team has liked to call a light mist which is actually a driving rain, but when you're in the warm control room you can call it anything you want to

call it. >> exactly. >> we like a fine wine with it. >> exactly. out on the plaza, matt lauer along with salve grut while meredith is on assignment. joined by natalie morales and al roker as well. would you say you're the type to stick up for yourself? >> no. >> yes. absolutely. >> yes? >> depends on the situation. >> you're in a restaurant, natalie, since you say you stick up for yourself. you get a portion and it's clearly not enough for the money you're paying. you would complain? >> not so much for that. [ laughter ] >> if it tasted good. if it wasn't cooked the way i wanted it. >> you would make a stink as opposed to not just going back to the restaurant? >> i would not go back as well. >> you wouldn't make a stink. no you wouldn't. anyway, we took hidden cameras to a local restaurant and put people to the test to find out if they stand up for their rights. >> and a guy's guide to infertility. a lot of books and recommendations are directed at

women. so the son of neil sedaka, mark, wrote a book about the experience of his wife. it ends well. >> and mark bittman is here, one of our favorites, with a classic which he guarantees you can make. it's a roasted chicken with vegetables. it's a no-fail recipe. >> very cool. >> he found a way to make the breast meat and leg meat come out cooked evenly. >> i love the recipe. time for the brackets. not the sweet 16, but for esquire's sexiest woman alive madness. in the first bracket, we have kathie lee and hoda going up against sofia vergara. i know who i'm voting for. i love me some kathie lee and hoda. they're going down.

sorry. >> now 95%. they got a shoutout. keep it going. kathie lee and hoda. come on. >> that's a little like duke taking on nor walk community college. isn't it? >> david versus goliath. >> good luck! al, a check of the weather. >> i sure do. sofia vergara. >> no! >> as we check the pacific northwest. mountain snows, heavy rain in the southeast. windy in southern california. tomorrow, record highs in the central plains. more rain in the pacific northwest. sunny and cool in the northeast. nice and mild through the midatlantic states as we head for friday. we're talking temperatures around 70 degrees in the northeast. >> the steady rain has moved up to the east but there is still a chance for a light rain and drizzle. we think the clouds will break

up as we get into the afternoon. up as we get into the afternoon. don't forget. you can get your weather day or night on weather channel on cable or weather.com -- sofia vergara. >> come on. do you fight for your rights if you don't get your money's worth at a restaurant? you may be surprised what we found on hidden camera. first this is "today" on nbc.

this morning on "today's consumer" we begin a special series called would you fight

for your rights? so armed with a hidden camera we tried out different scenarios to see if and how customers complained. >> our first stop was a famous manhattan eatery in midtown manhattan. we pulled a fast one to see how customers would react to less than stellar circumstances. fresco by scotto is a popular new york city restaurant known for good food and big portions, but not today. with the help of manager john and owner marion, we had the kitchen significantly reduce portions to see how many diners would fight for their rights. it didn't take long for these guys to feel they were being shorted with the bread basket. >> can you spare some bread? >> can you splurge a little? >> they call over the manager, john scotto. >> why did they bring us three pieces of bread? >> i'm sorry. the bread is tasty.

did you taste it? >> we didn't get any. >> the pizza, a favorite, was served today. the size of a cracker. the men weren't happy. >> wow. >> that's the pizza? >> reporter: the manager stopped by again, but this time, no comment. >> i'm all about customer service. >> i can tell. >> reporter: when dinner comes, they let it all out. >> you've got to be kidding me. >> reporter: not satisfied they go over the manager's head and ask for his superior, marion. >> look at the size of his portion and look at this. >> just look. >> whatever. i've got to leave. >> it's delicious. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. we've got to go. >> i'll take the check. >> reporter: we jumped in before it got any worse.

i'm janice lieberman from nbc's "today" show. are you enjoying the meal? >> wasn't much to eat. >> reporter: did you complain? >> no results. >> reporter: we're doing a report to see if you would fight for your rights. >> we don't want to be rude, but it is not an inexpensive restaurant. we're going home starving. >> what do you want? >> good service, good food. >> reporter: n >> now do we get a real meal? >> reporter: bring on the food, scotto's! another customer also noticed something was wrong and spoke up. >> you know, the my -- >> reporter: when her dish arrived with a ravioli, she didn't hold back. >> i was here a couple months ago. >> it was bigger? >> everything was. >> if you like i can get you another ravioli. >> i'm so disappointed. this is one of my favorite restaurants. you know what, take this. i'm not happy.

take this off my bill. >> reporter: time to reveal the experiment. i'm janice lieberman with "today" show. >> i knew it. i love this restaurant. i come here so much. i'm like, what is happening? >> reporter: we're doing a series called "would you fight for your rights." do you think you fought enough? >> i think so. i asked them to take it away. >> reporter: you weren't planning to pay for it? >> definitely not. no. >> reporter: you guys are entitled to full portions on the house. >> oh! >> i'm so relieved. >> reporter: our last diners were disappointed about the portion sizes, but said nothing. >> here comes the good stuff. syst >> is there another round? >> i'll take you to burger king later. >> thanks. >> reporter: the manager went to check on the table. still, no complaints. >> how is the lamb chop? cooked to your liking? >> it's excellent. >> that was a big one.

>> reporter: they do talk about the portions amongst themselves. >> looks like the appetizer portion. >> we like customers to take their time between bites and chew it thoroughly. >> reporter: still not a word to manager. >> not gaining weight tonight. >> reporter: even when we stepped in the diners still hesitated to complain. so tell me, how did you enjoy your meal? >> it was wonderful, good. >> reporter: what about the portion size? >> well -- >> the food was very good. >> okay. >> reporter: i want a real answer. why didn't you complain? >> i'm not a complaining kind of guy. >> reporter: you only got one chop. >> exactly. i'm not going to negotiate another chop at dinner. >> reporter: why not? >> i'm just not coming back. that's all. >> reporter: oh, we did a little experiment to see if you would fight for your rights. >> are you kidding me? janice! you are a tricky woman. >> reporter: do you think you can stuff in a few more chops? >> yes!

thank you. enjoy. mange! thanks to the folks at fresco and the diners who were good sports about our eaves dropping. >> you have to be a good sport. what choice did they have? what is the correct way to fight for your rights? let's bring in new york times social cues columnist phil galanas. you think people should complain? >> absolutely. other than starting a food fight in the restaurant, the best thing to do is start speaking up really fast. >> quickly. get in there. >> quickly. >> how important is tone when you complain? >> that's the biggest thing of all. people are just more likely to want to help you if you are being polite and reasonable about it. it's just a portion. so it's not like iraq is being invaded. explain what's going on in a nice tone of voice. >> to the waiter or the manager? >> i always start with the

waiter. 9 times out of 10 the waiter takes it back to the kitchen and fixes you right up. if it doesn't work, don't be polite like the third people who suffered through the bad meal. say, may i speak with a manage snr he really wants you to be happy. he wants you to come back and buy another meal there. >> they don't like turning people away unhappy. >> right. >> you can write to the restaurant and if you really don't get satisfaction -- >> go to one of the review sites like open table or trip adviser. that's like a revenge is best served coldle kind of situation. >> we decided here that the first two groups of people were new yorkers. the last group were from out of town, clearly. janice, interesting. >> great fun. >> good to have you here. up next, a guy's guide to the trials and tribulations of infertility. mark sedaka and his wife share their story. first this is "today" on nbc.

back now at 8:45. this morning on "parenting today" infertility advice for men. more than 6 million american couples have difficulty conceiving and most of the information is geared to women. now there is a guy's guide to infertility called "what he can expect when she's not expecting." comedy writer marc sedaka is here with his wife samantha. good morning. >> hi. >> you had a six-year journey to try to get pregnant. samantha, ultimately you did it through gestational sur ga si. explain. >> we took our embryo and placed it into a surrogate. >> a womb for rent. >> ended up with our twin girls. and can i tell -- >> tell the happy ending. >> everything was great. five weeks before the girls turned 2 we found out we were

pregnant and had a baby boy. >> it's actually somewhat of a common occurrence. people may recognize this last name. you're neil sedaka's son. >> that's papa neil to our children. >> the famous singer. did that enter into your decision to go public with your story? >> oh, god. not at all. infertility doesn't discriminate. we were just another couple trying december ratley to have kids. we spent almost seven years doing this. in that time there were no books i could find for husbands going through this with their wives. we wanted to write a book for a guy, written bay guy. >> in fact, you say in the process -- and everyone goes through the process in the family -- you said it's almost like the invisible man dynamic. explain. >> it is. it's a woman's issue, so to speak. she had to go through the procedures, the tasks. a guy doesn't know what to do, what to say, how to act through it. those are the tips i wanted to impart in the book. >> samantha, not that we want to

telltales on marc, but i suppose there were high and low points in terms of your relationship and how he tried to comfort you. what stands out maybe as something what not to do? >> oh, i can tell you a lot. >> a lot of what not to do. >> marc writes in the book there are ten things not to do. i can give you three that stand out in my mind. never start a sentence with "my mother thinks." not the best thing to do. another thing he says in the book is -- he didn't -- in general, you're still young. we have time. >> the big one is it's not my fault, right? there is no fault. that's something i would like to impart to husbands in the book. you have to share it. >> marc, you are a comedy writer as well. this has a nice touch. you say you have a scale called si psycho 1 to 10. things you could say to set her off emotionally. what do you put at the top of the scale? >> just not to be involved is

the worst thing you can do. to just ignore the problem. a lot of times the woman in the situation won't really communicate as much as she should. it's up to the guy to do it. >> and not to report everyone else's pregnancy. >> that's a big thing. >> and you said something i thought was very profound in the book. you said, men, you have to understand what it's like for a woman. not that they just would like to have a baby. all women are kind of parents without a child. it's that profound. >> it is. that's what we were dealing with. i like to say men want kids, women need kids. >> it's a powerful personal story and a happy ending. good advice. >> thank you. >> find an excerpt of the book on our website, today.com. up next, a new twist on the classic roast chicken dinner. first this is "today" on nbc.

hey, what are you drinkin'? i'm drinkin' dunkin'. coffee -- black, straight up. extra cream, three sugars. iced coffee french vanilla. for me. iced coffee with a turbo shot. i'm drinkin' dunkin'. i'm drinkin' dunkin'. i'm drinkin' dunkin'. drinkin' dunkin'. america runs on dunk. this morning on how to cook everything, a new twist on a classic, roast chicken. mark bittman is here with a recipe that accounts for the difference in cooking time between the legs and the breasts and has a great outcome. he's a new york times columnist and the author of "how to cook everything." good morning. >> hi, matt. >> you wrote about the recipe the result is a whole bird meal that takes a bit more time and effort than a simple roast

chicken but offers an outcome a little short of mind blowing. >> mind blowing. >> you guarantee this recipe. >> if this doesn't work, mail it to me. i will send you your money back. >> i will give you mark's home address at tend of the segment. how does this account for the cooking time? >> first, separate the legs and breasts. also, we use everything. >> you could buy a whole chicken and cut it up or buy parts. >> you can do either. we're going to take the skin which comes off the leg hopefully in one piece like that. >> nice. that's easier than i thought. >> we roast the skin and turn it into crispy. maybe not the most appealing thing at 8:30 a.m., but crispy chicken skin croutons. >> you rendered the fat there. >> right. the skin we'll use in a salad or a garnish, snack, whatever. >> then you put the breasts, skin side up? >> down first.

first brown the legs. >> right. >> then the breasts. we take the breasts out and we do this in either olive oil or the fat that's rendered from the skins. >> okay. >> now we have a beautiful chicken fat in here. we're just going to dump in -- this is time consuming. >> this is sunday dinner, not tuesday night dinner. >> definitely. it takes time. >> start to finish, what are we talking about here? >> got to be two hours. >> a lot of it is you're not there. you can leave the kitchen for a while. >> carrots and what else? >> carrots, cellery, leeks, mushrooms. this is nbc. some thyme and rosemary. all of that cooks until it softens in the chicken fat or olive oil. >> can you leave it alone or does it need constant attention? >> this part takes ten minutes. >> fine. pretend it's ten minutes later. we made a stock from the bones

with the chicken -- with the bones from the chicken. >> right. >> that will go in here after this is cooked down a little bit. what do we call this? make believe? >> that's okay. we do that around here. >> but the legs will sit in that. >> and they are going down -- >> beautiful, beautiful melange -- >> are they going down lower because they have to cook longer? >> they are half submerged in the liquid. we cook them slowly in an oven for an hour or so and this part you can walk away. they become -- well, you can see here. they become really, really tender. they absorb a lot of the juices. >> i think we missed -- when did the breasts go in? >> these cook for, say, an hour. when they look like that, the breasts go back on top. >> okay. >> we raise the heat in the oven. the recipe will be on the website. >> it's complicated but you say it's worth it. >> it's one step after another.

when the breasts are done, they tend to -- you know, we keep them from overcook. they are crisp, remain moist inside and the legs are this beautiful really tender, beautiful meat with our fantastic -- at this point the vegetables will be cooking for an hour and a half or so and the flavor is incredible. >> okay. and the most important part here, this is guaranteed. >> guaranteed. >> or your money back. >> let's try it. >> going to take his time. >> we learned about natalie this morning she will complain if she doesn't like it. >> she will? unlike you. you just -- >> bad mouth you for a week. >> i like it when al tastes first. he doesn't complain. >> that's true. >> go ahead, al. >> savannah? go ahead. >> thank you very much. we're back after your local news.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. in liquor store owner faces theft charges after she allegedly tried it cheating or customer out of a winning lottery ticket. she was arrested at the maryland lottery at quarters after she tried to cash in on a ticket should call the customer was not a winner undercover agents posing as a customer entered the store trying to catch the

>> now let's take a look at the forecast with tony pann.

>> we had steady rain around last night. that has pushed off the coast. for the rest of the morning we will see a low clouds and light rain or drizzle. going into the afternoon, it will clear up a little bit. a mixture of clouds and a little bit of sunshine. high temperatures in the upper 50s. about as nice as it gets for this time of year. 71 on friday. a chance for rain friday night, but it should be dry during the day. even the weekend looks ok. cooler, but nice. >> we will have another weather update